Many know Martin Luther King Day, an important day in American history. But today, May 19, is Malcolm X Day.
Last night, I just finished watching the 1992 film Malcolm X. The movie is directed by Spike Lee and Malcolm X is played by Denzel Washington. It is a great, yet tragic, story that I recommend all watch.
You can view the trailer below.
Continue reading
Many may know that we are currently in the month of Ramadan for Muslims. This is the time when Muslims fast from sun up to sun down. I suppose it is comparable to our Christian season of Lent.
Continue reading
Each Spring semester in my Missional Life course, we have some sessions around the concept of inculturation (a more fancy word for contextualization) and this leads us to look at engaging with those of other religions.
My sense is that, especially as evangelicals, we easily find our identity in what we are against rather than what (or who) we are for. I believe this easily pushes us to move with hostility toward others who aren’t like us, rather than move toward them with hospitality. Continue reading
Each semester I take students from my Missiology class to a Muslim prayer service at a local mosque here in Memphis. It’s a practical learning assignment to observe, listen to and learn from our Muslim neighbors. I find this a very enriching experience for both myself and students: to step into the unknown, to learn by talking to and interacting with actual Muslims, and to perhaps see our preconceived notions about Muslims torn down.
Because it’s easy to view Muslims through a foggy or cracked lens. Continue reading
I remember the first time I began to build a real, authentic relationship with a Muslim family. It moved me.
This was during our time in Belgium. Adjoined to the building where our church met was a Moroccan restaurant owned by a Moroccan Muslim family. They would normally communicate in French, but thankfully the husband/father spoken decent English. So we were able to speak quite often. Continue reading
The Prodigal Thought 